The Himalayas face a snowless winter due to weakened Western Disturbances and El Niño. This disrupts the cryosphere, threatens Indo-Gangetic water security and apple farming, highlights Arctic amplification, accelerates glacier retreat, raises forest fire risks, and endangers ecological and economic stability.
Click to View MoreThe Himalayan cryosphere, Asia’s Third Pole, is melting rapidly due to global warming, threatening water security, increasing GLOFs, and disrupting food, energy, and stability. Despite initiatives like NMSHE, gaps remain. Strong monitoring, regional cooperation, resilient infrastructure, and deep emission cuts are essential.
Click to View MoreIndia, the world’s largest groundwater user, faces a deepening crisis due to unchecked extraction, weak regulation, and distorted subsidies. Despite CGWA and Atal Bhujal Yojana, depletion persists. Sustainable solutions need demand-side management, stronger laws, and community-led, decentralised groundwater governance.
Click to View MoreThe public health crisis in Indore exposed deep urban governance failures, as sewage-contaminated water from ageing pipelines caused deaths despite prior warnings by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. The episode reveals neglect of core water infrastructure and highlights the need for audits, monitoring, accountability, and effective implementation of AMRUT 2.0.
Click to View MoreGlobal glacier loss may peak during 2041–55, with up to 4,000 glaciers disappearing yearly. This threatens water security worldwide, especially in the Hindu Kush Himalaya. For India, higher GLOF risks and seasonal rivers loom. Limiting warming to 1.5°C remains crucial to save nearly half of global glaciers.
Click to View MoreA PLOS Climate update reveals India has warmed by 0.9°C since 1901, leading to intensified Arabian Sea cyclones, rising marine heatwaves, and Himalayan ice loss. Urgent action is needed for adaptation, resilient infrastructure, and climate-smart agriculture to safeguard water security and coastal communities.
Click to View MoreKarnataka’s Jala Sanjeevini programme tackles drought by combining GIS mapping with community inputs through a mobile app. Using MGNREGA funds, it builds targeted water structures that recharge groundwater, improve soil moisture, and strengthen rural resilience—offering a scalable conservation model.
Click to View MoreThe Jal Jeevan Mission has raised rural tap water access from 17% in 2019 to over 81% by October 2025, saving 5.5 crore hours daily and averting 4 lakh deaths. Through community participation and digital monitoring, it strengthens sustainability, water quality, and rural empowerment nationwide.
Click to View MoreThe Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) scheme supports micro-irrigation techniques such as drip and sprinkler systems. It provides financial assistance to facilitate state-driven water conservation initiatives. This, in turn, enhances agricultural productivity, optimizes water usage, and increases farmer incomes.
Click to View MoreChina’s extensive dam-building on the Brahmaputra exemplifies its “hydropower diplomacy,” leveraging water to assert regional dominance. This threatens India’s water security, risking floods, scarcity, and ecological damage. India must safeguard riparian rights and accelerate its own dam projects to counter China’s hydro-hegemony.
Click to View MoreThe National Initiative on Water Security under MGNREGA mandates fund allocation by groundwater stress, institutionalizing rainwater harvesting and recharge. It provides rural employment, durable assets, women’s empowerment, climate resilience, and mission synergy, fostering sustainable livelihoods and ensuring a water-secure future for India.
Click to View MoreCommunity-led river conservation shifts focus from state-led interventions to people-driven stewardship. Rooted in traditional wisdom and local ownership, it integrates ecological restoration with livelihood security. By empowering marginalized communities and ensuring participatory governance, this bottom-up model offers a sustainable pathway to address India’s water crisis and strengthen environmental resilience.
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